Wheel question for the experts...

[Mike Prince]

Hi all,

Lately my rear wheel has developed a nasty click. This is the one noise in years of working on bicycles that I cannot get rid of and it's about to drive me batty. So, here's the deal:

- The clicking only happens when pedaling at moderate cadence, is silent when really putting the power down or soft pedaling.
- If I stand the click goes away
- When the click happens, I can make it go away temporarily by applying more or less force to the pedal stroke.
- The noise is definetely coming from the rear wheel (confirmed by riding partners)
- The click happens at exactly the same point of my pedal stroke when it happens
- I hear it about 80% of the time I ride.

The wheel build:

- Dura Ace hub
- Open Pro rim
- DT 14/17 non-drive
- DT 14/15 drive
- laced 3x
- wheel has approx 15k miles on it, was trouble free until Sept. '03

What I have done so far (since September when this started)

- Rear hub complete rebuild
- Pedal rebuild
- Checked chainring bolts
- Replaced BB
- Lubricated spoke nipples/spoke crossings
- Retensioned rear wheel

After all of this the insidious click is worse than ever. My next proposed step is a complete rear wheel rebuild with a new rim and spokes - my fear is that something is on the verge of failure back there as I am having a hard time keeping the wheel true.

Before I take the plunge and start over from scratch, have I overlooked anything? This is making me crazy. I'm pretty sure this isn't the famous Mavic click since it only happens while pedaling. The only wild card is that the click vanishes when I stand. I guess before I do any more work to the wheel I will remove the seatpost, clean and grease, then reinsert.

Help!!!